Genealogy Chat

Liz

There was a similar thread recently where someone had a birth cert that had been changed via a 'statutory declaration' where it seemed like an unmarried woman had registered her childs birth as if she were married - the 'husbands' details were actually those of the woman's own father. It wasn't uncommon for unmarried mothers to make up a father - and often not being too imaginative, giving their own father's information.

I think this may be the case here!

x

Hi Liz,
If the mother said she was married, and gave the father's name (and yes, they could've been cousins, or it could've been just coincidence) then he didn't need to be present.
If she declared herself UNmarried then she could not record a father's name without his prescence at the registration.

CC

Hi
This is a complete long shot, I was looking for Mary Elizabeth Wheeler in the 1901 census and came across this one, it has a possibility as there is an Alex theme running through the family

Mary E Wheeler
Age: 18
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Alex J
Mother's Name: Mary
Gender: Female
Where born: Croydon, Surrey, England

Civil Parish: Croydon
Ecclesiastical parish: South Norwood St Mark
Town: Croydon
County/Island: Surrey
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View Image

Registration district: Croydon
Sub registration district: Croydon
ED, institution, or vessel: 88
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 291
Household Members:
Name Age
Alex Wheeler 15
Alex J Wheeler 40
Grace Wheeler 10
Harry Wheeler 7
Mary Wheeler 40
Mary E Wheeler 18

Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 649; Folio: 54; Page: 48.

As I say it it a complete longshot, but there were only 41 Mary Wheeler in the Surrey area in 1901, do we know where she was born or what year, possibly from the death cert.

Ann

I assume this is the birth?

Births Sep 1903
Wheeler Annie Alexandra Windsor 2c 442

The father probably was called Alexander and she incorporated his name into Annie's name.

Rose

There is a chance the father was a cousin of the mother. This is not uncommon. Also the father doesnt have the be present to be registered. A Rellie of mine has the father registered.....when i found the fathers death he died 2 years before the ''son'' was born.
With the street number i wouldnt worry too much. As towns grow they knock down alot of the older houses to build new....i have found this with my own. Once upon a time the house numbers probably went that high....and now there is a shop or new build where it used to be lol
Lou

I live not far from Egham and Hythe Park Road does exist, try this link:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=502565&y=170989&z=1&sv=Hythe+park+road&st=6&tl=Hythe+Park+Road,+Egham,+Surrey,+TW20&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf

You are correct, it is nowhere near long enough to have a number 701

No, the father did not have to be present and yes she could have lied but would have thought she would have used the father's surname not her own?

By the way - I used the 1901 census for Hythe Park Road to check number 7, and all the 70's with no link to Wheeler or the name Mary Elizabeth.

Mystery continues...!

Hi. Thanks for answering.

The address is 701 Hythe Park Road, Egham, Surrey. The birth certificate is from 1903. As far as a can tell the numbers don't go up nearly that high.

The only other thing I can think of is the handwriting has made the number hard to understand. it could be 7 of Hythe Road, but that doesn't sound right to me.

It is possible that the address has changed - some streets have been renamed, some demolished. Can you get sight of a map from that time? What is the address?

What area are we looking at here?

My partner's grandmother was adopted pre 1927. She was born in 1903. She found out that she was adopted after her adopted mother had died and found a letter from her adopted mother to a registrar in 1951 asking to get the birth certificate changed. The registrar made it clear that she could not do this.

I received the birth certificate and it has thrown up many more questions! I wonder if any of you have any advice.

The address listed does not appear to exist ( I have googled it on google earth), the father's name is Alexander Wheeler and the mother's name is Mary Elizabeth Wheeler formerly Wheeler - which I find really strange. I have used free BMD and ancestry to find the marriage and can find no trace of it.

The father's ocupation is 'private royal house guards'. The informant was the mother. Could she have been lying? Would the father have to be present to be listed as the father? Could she have pretended to be married?

Please help!